04-15-05 : Core Values – Senate Minority Leader Johnny Ellis says the innovative budget process allowed Democratic Senators to stand up for their core values and beliefs.

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Johnny Ellis 341 KB

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Johnny Ellis 42 KB

04-15-05 : Bipartisanship – Senate President Ben Stevens says he hopes that the new level of cooperation in the Senate applies to the capital budget and the remainder of the session.

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Ben Stevens 293 KB

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Ben Stevens 36 KB

04-15-05 : Alaska’s Future – Sen. Gary Wilken says the operating budget reflects hope and optimism for Alaska’s economic future.

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Gary Wilken 185 KB

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Gary Wilken 23 KB

04-13-05 : To me, it’s the senate coming together and saying here is a viable solution to the problem we face in deteriorating schools, to the problem we face in overcrowded schools, and the problem we face with not having adequate facilities in our university institutions.

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Ben Stevens 377 KB

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Ben Stevens 47 KB

04-13-05 : I was glad to vote yes today because this is an opportunity to fund deferred maintenance, this is an opportunity to bring our educational facilities up to par and we can do it with a very minimal impact on the families of Alaska. This is far-reaching. It addresses the future and not the past. That’s the beauty of using the earnings and that’s the beauty of Senate Bill 155.

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Gary Wilken 367 KB

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Gary Wilken 46 KB

04-11-05 : This bill (SB 141) is designed to protect the benefit structure of the existing employees and retired employees. There is absolutely no interest in the state not fulfilling their benefit obligation to pay for the benefits that are accrued. It comes out with a new retirement plan, a defined contribution plan, which will give workers greater control and autonomy over their own financial resources and retirement issues.

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Bert Stedman 60 KB

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Bert Stedman 484 KB

04-11-05 : The product we passed today on the floor of the senate is our best efforts at trying to get a grasp on this issue, to get a grasp of the problem, and to allow the state to move forward with a competitive, attractive and responsible plan for employees in the future.

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Ben Stevens 39 KB

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Ben Stevens 309 KB